Compensation

Over the years, I've thought a lot about the subject of "compensation." Many people (including myself) think of it in terms of the paycheck and associated benefits that are the reason we go to work each day. But there are two other twists on "compensation" I thought I'd share with you today.

One is an unattributed quote I picked up many years ago: "Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not; a sense of humor, to console him for what he is." I've always had a pretty vivid imagination, which could be either the cause or the effect of my love of reading and of old-time radio drama: the pictures I can conjure up in my head from either one tend to be more vivid and enjoyable than those on the TV or movie screen. I wrote about this in somewhat more detail on March 26th in a post titled, "What You Thought You Saw." And the quote is absolutely right: imagination allows us to escape from drudging everyday reality, and a sense of humor keeps us humble, and from taking ourselves too seriously (something I hope I will never be accused of).

The other twist on "compensation" is this thought: the only compensation for a man in growing older is that every year there are more women he thinks are attractive.

This is also true. As my hair turns gray, my body heads south, and I find myself needing to write everything down so I don't forget it, I have learned to appreciate the beauty of women of every age. The gold standard for beautiful ladies under 10 is, of course, my granddaughter Marcy. Young women in their teens and ladies in their 20's have the beauty of youth, and as they move into their 30's and 40's that beauty is enhanced (in most cases) by life experience and maturity. When a man is young, a woman over 50 may as well be on display under lights in a museum; but as I coast toward my 60's, I can vouch for the fact that there are a great many perfectly lovely ladies in the over-50 age group (the gold standard, of course, being my beloved wife).

So...

No particular message today...just some rambling thoughts on the things that compensate us for the battering we take in everyday living. We can't negotiate the compensation package we get in life...all we can do is try to enjoy it.

Have a good day. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo